Backing 3/4yr olds

My raising three years olds and I are waiting for better weather. The Gotlandsruss is long reined and has pulled a small log which he did well. The Icelandics have been on walks, one of them has been long reined once but hasn't really understood the concept. They're all happy to be out doing stuff and want to be brought out when I go in the paddock.
 
Been a fairly quiet month here, haven't taken him out for a ride however we have been hacking around at home and also focusing on more ground work. The arena is mostly unsuitable for riding faster than a walk until it gets a proper harrow which hasn't been done for nearly 2 months due to the tractor being stolen and insurance just approved the funds for a replacement.
Pony got another clip but not before he demolished a brand new rug that I've been saving for over a year. It didn't even last 12hrs! Sensible boy though for not freaking out about it. No more rugs until he is a few years older and grown out of the rearing games phase...if he ever does 😆
 

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Well my boys journey has begun! He was safely dropped off at Guy Robertson Horsemanship yesterday and has had his first session today! I very much miss his presence at the stables. My old horse is still whinnying for him and the Shetland has become full of sass without the young one to tell him off! lol!
 
Today we had visitors - in the howling wind and rain - so I decided it was a good opportunity to take our rising 4yo for her first ride that was longer than 50m or so. She’s pretty bombproof by nature so I didn’t think the weather would be an issue - and it wasn’t. She was fabulous! Absolutely loved it, tolerated the kids leaping off the banks and splashing in puddles round her, really enjoyed some trotting and was just so happy.
 
Ru is growing like a weed!! 😲
I did some pole work with him today after riding my veteran, which you think would be humbling, hoping from a 17yo to a 4yo, but nope, he is just so level headed.
We have had 2 lessons in the past month with different instructors and he has tried his heart out, keeping things basic but putting his brain to work. One lesson was in 50mph winds and sideways hail, oh and there were new sheep right along side the school, not bothered!
Hacking out in company and on his own, no problem at all.

Super boy!

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Looks like I forgot to put it on here but last month we went to an obstacle lesson & was pretty good really.

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We then went to a TREC competition to do some inhand classes and managed 1st & 3rd. Carefulness could do with improvement but wasn’t fussed about being in the arena / people watching etc. No pics of actual course as nobody with me.

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Also went on his longest solo walk to date today. This involved crossing the motorway bridge again (which was boring apparently), going under the underpass where someone had also lit a small fire & left it to burn itself out (the bike dumped a bit further along was more scary apparently) and being overtaken by a large tractor pulling a trailer going a wee bit faster and closer than he should have been (treats apparently work just as well for tractors as for buses and we may have also dived onto the pavement to create some space). The less said about his determination to play in any patch of sludge he could reach whilst tied up waiting for the trimmer (after I’d brushed his legs!) the better though… I especially appreciated him attempting to paw at the inside of my grooming box with his sludge covered foot 🙈
 
I've kind of accidentally taught Rabbit the basis of lunging the other day 🤣

He was a little bit distracted in the yard, so I thought whilst I was waiting for the wash area to hose his legs and hooves off, I'd do a small amount of groundwork with him. He was more than happy to yield his shoulders and hind end away and towards me, so I thought I'd let the rope out a little bit (I use a long line when leading as he can have a few excited moments and I don't fancy being in the way of them!) and he carried on walking around me, head down, ears listening to me and waited for me to ask him to stand. My friend turned around and was like "Did you just teach him that or does he know already?", and I was like "Nope he didn't know it till about 5 minutes ago apparently!" 😜 We were both in fits of giggles and Rabbit was just stood there as if to say "Uh what's so funny guys?".

The next step is to reproduce this in the school which is a bigger area, with different footing underneath, away from his safety blanket of the yard and stables - so we will see how that goes. But for the moment, I'm just taking things at his pace ☺️

I've also booked the saddler to come out and fit him in a few months, so hopefully by the end of Summer, I will be able to report that I had my first sit on him ❤️

I'm tempted to do the first sit bareback in case things go hairy - means I can get off quick with little to no risk of injury to either of us, and then introduce the saddle later on. He's pretty zen with the saddle/girth/stirrups etc being put on in his stable, and being lead around x He's been walked and trotted in hand with the stirrups up and down, and doesn't care one bit x He's also happy for them to be banging/flapping and making a noise, so I know it won't be a case of him getting worried, but I'm also aware of how fast things can go south, and I desperately don't want to make any mess ups x Am I daft for contemplating this though??? x
 
AppyLover1996 said:
I've kind of accidentally taught Rabbit the basis of lunging the other day 🤣

He was a little bit distracted in the yard, so I thought whilst I was waiting for the wash area to hose his legs and hooves off, I'd do a small amount of groundwork with him. He was more than happy to yield his shoulders and hind end away and towards me, so I thought I'd let the rope out a little bit (I use a long line when leading as he can have a few excited moments and I don't fancy being in the way of them!) and he carried on walking around me, head down, ears listening to me and waited for me to ask him to stand. My friend turned around and was like "Did you just teach him that or does he know already?", and I was like "Nope he didn't know it till about 5 minutes ago apparently!" 😜 We were both in fits of giggles and Rabbit was just stood there as if to say "Uh what's so funny guys?".

The next step is to reproduce this in the school which is a bigger area, with different footing underneath, away from his safety blanket of the yard and stables - so we will see how that goes. But for the moment, I'm just taking things at his pace ☺️

I've also booked the saddler to come out and fit him in a few months, so hopefully by the end of Summer, I will be able to report that I had my first sit on him ❤️

I'm tempted to do the first sit bareback in case things go hairy - means I can get off quick with little to no risk of injury to either of us, and then introduce the saddle later on. He's pretty zen with the saddle/girth/stirrups etc being put on in his stable, and being lead around x He's been walked and trotted in hand with the stirrups up and down, and doesn't care one bit x He's also happy for them to be banging/flapping and making a noise, so I know it won't be a case of him getting worried, but I'm also aware of how fast things can go south, and I desperately don't want to make any mess ups x Am I daft for contemplating this though??? x
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I like to mount them bareback to start, for the reasons you mentioned. Very easy to get off, nothing to get caught in. I'm not intending to have any reactive moments during the first sits and if it was to happen, I think it'd be beneficial to undramatically slide off and try again, with more preparation. Of my current youngsters I've only sat properly on one, with no equipment. Would've had at least a halter on if he wasn't the sane, undramatic type he is, though.
 
Korg said:
I like to mount them bareback to start, for the reasons you mentioned. Very easy to get off, nothing to get caught in. I'm not intending to have any reactive moments during the first sits and if it was to happen, I think it'd be beneficial to undramatically slide off and try again, with more preparation. Of my current youngsters I've only sat properly on one, with no equipment. Would've had at least a halter on if he wasn't the sane, undramatic type he is, though.
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Rabbit is quite a chilled dude, although he does internalise some of his anxiety, but when it gets too much we get an "explosion" of sorts, which is him letting out that nervous energy - so I'm deffo leaning towards doing the first sit bareback as if anything does happen, it'll be safer for both of us to be able to slide off the side x
 
rhino said:

We’re just working away on bits and pieces. Worn a bridle and bit - no big deal. Worn a (treed) roller - NBD. Couple of 5 min sessions in the school -NBD. He is a cool wee thing.
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Such a cool wee dude ❤️

Can I ask how you taught the whole long lining thing - I'm about to start teaching Rabbit my youngster to do this, but he keeps on getting confused, stopping and turning back to me, so for the moment I've stopped it as didn't want to cause any issues x
 
AppyLover1996 said:
Such a cool wee dude ❤️

Can I ask how you taught the whole long lining thing - I'm about to start teaching Rabbit my youngster to do this, but he keeps on getting confused, stopping and turning back to me, so for the moment I've stopped it as didn't want to cause any issues x
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It helps that he’s a confident, independent wee soul naturally.

I just made sure I established verbal cues from the very start and used them consistently. Led from different positions, both sides and further behind, as needed for a lot of Trec obstacles. He’s always enjoyed exploring, so if we came to a narrow bit I’d sometimes let him take the lead (always handled on a training rope so plenty of length) and then ask him to halt. We’re lucky on that we have over 60,000 acres off road hacking here so he did also go ‘off lead’ at times to get used to being a little more independent. Wouldn’t really recommend this for anyone else though 😂

I don’t really do lunging with youngsters but we did practise walk/halt and a few strides of trot on the end of his training rope. Again just getting him to respond to verbal cues. I had also worked with him on understanding turning and being used to ropes around his quarters by looping the rope under his neck and around his bum and then encouraging him to turn towards me. I then used 2 training ropes (no roller yet as he was only a 2yo) and did some very wobbly reining, making sure he was always on a turn and I positioned myself where he could still see me.

In the last couple of weeks he’s had his Fairfax roller fitted and has had a couple of short sessions in the school, a bit of an amalgamation of true longreining and double twin lunging (again only walk, halt and a couple of short trots). We then picked a reasonably calm day and a short route we know well and just went for it! Normally I would ask someone to come, either walking or ridden to take the lead but he’s not really ‘normal’ 😂

I think it also helps that I’ve done a LOT of longreining working on breaking/‘problem horse’ yards and really enjoy it. Last pony could do all the lateral work, tempi changes etc on longreins. Does your older lad longrein to get some practise in?
 
rhino said:
It helps that he’s a confident, independent wee soul naturally.

I just made sure I established verbal cues from the very start and used them consistently. Led from different positions, both sides and further behind, as needed for a lot of Trec obstacles. He’s always enjoyed exploring, so if we came to a narrow bit I’d sometimes let him take the lead (always handled on a training rope so plenty of length) and then ask him to halt. We’re lucky on that we have over 60,000 acres off road hacking here so he did also go ‘off lead’ at times to get used to being a little more independent. Wouldn’t really recommend this for anyone else though 😂

I don’t really do lunging with youngsters but we did practise walk/halt and a few strides of trot on the end of his training rope. Again just getting him to respond to verbal cues. I had also worked with him on understanding turning and being used to ropes around his quarters by looping the rope under his neck and around his bum and then encouraging him to turn towards me. I then used 2 training ropes (no roller yet as he was only a 2yo) and did some very wobbly reining, making sure he was always on a turn and I positioned myself where he could still see me.

In the last couple of weeks he’s had his Fairfax roller fitted and has had a couple of short sessions in the school, a bit of an amalgamation of true longreining and double twin lunging (again only walk, halt and a couple of short trots). We then picked a reasonably calm day and a short route we know well and just went for it! Normally I would ask someone to come, either walking or ridden to take the lead but he’s not really ‘normal’ 😂

I think it also helps that I’ve done a LOT of longreining working on breaking/‘problem horse’ yards and really enjoy it. Last pony could do all the lateral work, tempi changes etc on longreins. Does your older lad longrein to get some practise in?
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Thanks so much for the detailed explanation! :)

I do a lot of verbal cues with Rabbit in general which he responds to really well - my verbal cue for example, when asking him to stand is "And Stand" but said like "aaaannnnnddd stannnnddd" - I usually only get as far as the first bit of the "aaaaaaannnnndddd" before he's stood stock still 😅

Trot deffo needs some work though - he seems to enjoy doing an extended walk instead, leaving me huffing and looking like a tomato......on the upside he's well used to his Hooman being out of puff and needing a quick stop break 😜 He's currently 15.3hh and a right stocky powerhouse, so when he gets a march on, he proper goes aha!

I use a long training rope too - I find it much easier than a short leadrope - especially as we've had a few small explosive moments, so the longer length has helped keep a safe distance but still remain in control......

He's used to ropes being draped all over him, wrapped loosely around his legs, touching his sides, dragging behind him, being gently flapped against his sides and the feel of them when they touch his bottom - he doesn't freak if he stands on his long leadrope or anything - I swear he's been on this Earth in a past horse form!

Rabbit's great when someone is by his head and walking next to him, but when I "disappear" from his head, he sometimes turns around to look at me, which leads us to getting tangled slightly - but he's a good boy to stand whilst I sort us out x

My older lad does long rein but he's a total prat with it 🙄 - he'll piss off at the first chance he gets, and despite having arthritic hocks, stifles and a slightly dodgy hip - the spotty twit can move at a speed that would make a rocket launch into space look slow.....🤣

I'll have a chat to one of my friends and see if I can borrow their horse to get some extra practise in :) x
 
My rising 3yo gelding has just come back from a 5 week holiday at a friend’s. Good grass, plentiful haylage on tap, some time away from his sister’s relentless bothering. He has come back so much more confident and 2 inches taller! I’ve popped him in with my cob so he’s got his own space but can talk to his sister over the fence. Hopefully the best of both worlds.

She’s rising 4 and has spent the whole 5 weeks slightly grumpy and missing him. She was so much happier and more content this morning!
 
Re long raining, start at his head, when all going well, drop back one step and carry on, once you are happily and consistently together while you are at his shoulder/wither you can start with two reins. Continue, just dropping back a foot at a time
 
There was a sunny day last weekend so I started phase 1 of scraggy 3yo training.

This involved asking said 3yo to leave mates and stand in a different area without being too unruly. She obliged reasonably quickly.
She then practised a little moving forwards, back and sideways, again reasonably compliantly.

By now I was feeling quite enthusiastic so dragged her over to the Haylage stack and up I clambered. Did weird and wonderful things above her, which she was a combination of bemused and nonplussed about. Clearly wondering what mad planet humans originally came from.

Got given a carrot. She was delighted.

Got turfed back out.

IHW training manual 101 complete.
 
Aspen is growing and the trainers are very busy so he's going to be outstanding in his field until June. He'll then be fully 4 years old and hopefully through this growth/change and he can start being backed. This does mean I doubt I'll be riding him this year, so poor old Amber will have to cope with the load. :D I'm, sure she's up to the task.
 
Mylo still looks a bit weedy so I am not really doing much. Or maybe seeing Myka next to him makes him look gangly and weak. She's getting pretty solid. And he's 2 years younger than her which i sometimes forget and think if him as 1 year behind not 2. She was not backed till 4. I plan to back him in the summer at 3 I think.
 
BBP2 said:
My yard cat likes to climb up on the stable roof, so I’m not sure that plan is foolproof for mine!
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Mine does too! But shes still pretty handy for long reining help when required, she also does a great job sitting on the fence and looking judgemental, prepares the horses for being judged when they are grown up.
 
daffy44 said:
Mine does too! But shes still pretty handy for long reining help when required, she also does a great job sitting on the fence and looking judgemental, prepares the horses for being judged when they are grown up.
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I hadn’t thought of it that way, just that my horses would probably try to follow her onto the roof 😆. But sitting in judgement is her speciality, so I can certainly put that to use!IMG_9241.jpeg

I can’t contribute much else to this thread as mine are 5 and 6 and still not backed, so photo of judgy feral yard cat it is! And yes, I did an excellent job of making the hay the focal point
 
Ambers Echo said:
Mylo still looks a bit weedy so I am not really doing much. Or maybe seeing Myka next to him makes him look gangly and weak. She's getting pretty solid. And he's 2 years younger than her which i sometimes forget and think if him as 1 year behind not 2. She was not backed till 4. I plan to back him in the summer at 3 I think.
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Lots of youngsters are looking weedy and small after last summer. There was enough food to keep weight but not enough protein to really grow. We looked for a larger pony recently and I saw so many undersized youngsters. I think we will back ours at 3.5 in the autumn, turn away for the winter and start properly at 4. He has so much growing still to do - looks like he’s 9 months younger than he actually is!
 
Got my 2 rising 4yr olds back in this week- they will do a month of groundwork 3 or 4 times a week and then hopefully I will get back on board 🤞
No big plans this year, but hopefully they will both get out hacking well and will do a little outing before being chucked back out in the Autumn

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The 3 year old is now rising 4, last year he did 8 weeks of long lining followed by 8 weeks of hacking (only 2 days a week) So far this year he has had 8 weeks of chilling out.

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Saddle has been checked so now time to pick him back up. He is 16.1 and 3/4 Irish Draught so I think he has a bit of filling out to do yet, hopefully not much growing though. 🙈
 
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